New York Markets After Hours

Updates, advisories and surprises

(8:22 PM ET) LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks notched gains in early Friday trading, as some earnings results helped select shares to send the blue-chip Nikkei Stock Average(JP:NI225)up 0.4% to 9,043.61, and the broader Topix 0.2% higher. Shares of Hitachi Ltd.(JP:6501)
HIT, +9.82%
rose 1.7% as the market cheered a 45% rise in fiscal-year profit and shrugged off expectations for lower earnings this year. Sony Corp.(JP:6758)
SNE, -1.14%
traded up 1.4% after forecasting a return to profit in the current fiscal year, despite posting a loss for the year that ended in March. Olympus Corp.(JP:7733)
OCPNF, +6.07%
reported a wider quarterly loss late Thursday, but revenue edged up, and its shares rose 2.7% Friday morning. A quarterly profit for Trend Micro Inc.(JP:4704)
TMICY, -2.85%
sent its shares up 1.4%. Among decliners, Renesas Electronics Corp.(JP:6723)
RNECY, +0.54%
extended its losses with a 1.1% drop after delaying its outlook earlier this week, while Nintendo Co.(JP:7974)
NTDOF, -2.49%
retreated 2% after data showing a 42% drop for U.S. videogame sales.

Nordstrom backs 2012 profit outlook

(4:36 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Nordstrom
JWN, +0.37%
reported late Thursday first-quarter profit edged up 3% to $149 million, or 70 cents a share, from $145 million, or 65 cents a share, in the same 2011 period. The profit missed the consensus analyst view for 75 cents a share, based on a Thomson Reuters survey. Sales for the department-store chain rose 13.7% to $2.53 billion. Same-store sales increased 8.5% during the period ended April 28. For this year, Nordstrom still expects to earn $3.30 to $3.45 a share. It projected same store sales growth at 4% to 6%. Based in Seattle, Nordstrom operates 231 stores in 31 states. Shares fell 5% to $50.60 in late trades. The stock is 11% over the last 12 months.

Sotheby's swings to loss in first quarter

(4:13 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Sotheby's
BID, -0.33%
late Thursday reported it swung to a first-quarter loss of $10.7 million, or 16 cents a share, from a profit of $2.4 million, or 3 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue fell 12% to $105 million. The auction house blamed its weak result on a decline in net auction sales and revenues, as well as a 5% increase in operating expenses. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had forecast a loss of 16 cents a share on revenue of $96 million.

Priceline shares fall on outlook

(11:29 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Priceline.com Inc.
PCLN, +1.25%
saw its shares fall nearly 5% to $683.60 on Thursday morning after the online travel firm posted a strong earnings gain for the first quarter but issued a forecast for the current period that was below expectations. For the second quarter, Priceline forecast earnings per share between $7.20 and $7.40, with revenue expected to grow between 18% and 23%. Analysts had been expecting earnigs of $7.37 on a 26% revenue gain. Doug Anmuth of J.P. Morgan wrote in a note to clients that "we believe guidance may be conservative as it accounts for shifting macro and geo-political dynamics in Europe." He maintained an outperform rating on the stock.

Windstream shares fall on results, outlook

(11:07 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Windstream Corp.
WIN, -1.14%
saw its shares fall nearly 11% to $10.04 on Thursday morning. The rural telecommunications carrier reported a strong jump in profits for the first quarter, though the adjusted results came in a penny shy of Wall Sreet's estimates. In a conference call, the company also said it expects revenue from its wholesale business to decline 12% in the second quarter, but it added that it still expects to meet the "low end" of its previously guided range for the year, "given the strength of our core business."

Monster Beverage soars on profit report

(10:03 AM ET) CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Monster Beverage were rising fast Thursday, tacking on more than 10% the morning after the energy drink firm posted sharp spikes in profit and revenue that sailed past Wall Street expectations. The company also reported a 53.1% gross margin, a gain of 100 basis points and has been the topic of speculation about a possible takeover bid by Coca-Cola
KO, +0.10%
"Overall, we believe demand for Monster Energy
MNST, -1.46%
remains robust and continue to estimate sustained low double-digit sales growth over the next 3-5 years resulting from further U.S. share gains, innovation, and international expansion," wrote Mark Astrachan of Stifel Nicolaus in a note to investors. Shares rose $6.58 to $71.89 in morning action.

ArcelorMittal 1st-quarter net off 99%, revenue up

(1:47 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- ArcelorMittal,
MT, -2.79%
(NL:MT)the Luxembourg steel maker, reported on Thursday that first-quarter net income fell 99% on 2.3% higher revenue. The company earned $11 million, or 1 cent a share, compared with $1.07 billion, or 69 cents, in the year-earlier quarter. Sales reached $22.7 billion from $22.18 billion. Steel shipments rose 1.2% to 22.2 million metric tons. "Europe remains the biggest challenge and during the first quarter we announced the extended idling of a number of facilities in line with our strategy of meeting demand from our more competitive sites," the company said in a statement. The mining business was hurt by seasonal factors in the quarter but remains "a key area for growth," the company said.

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